Mumbai records 1,145 cases; active cases increase by 64% in 2 weeks
Mumbai has reported over 1,000 Covid-19 cases for the second consecutive day
Mumbai has reported over 1,000 Covid-19 cases for the second consecutive day. On Thursday, the city recorded 1,145 new cases and five deaths, taking the case tally to 322,844 and the death toll to 11,463. According to state health department data, active cases in the city has increased by around 64% in the last two weeks.
On February 11, Mumbai had reported 4,197 active cases and the same has gone up to 6,900 active cases, as of February 24, in the period of nearly two weeks. The city has been reporting over 500 cases since the past 10 days, compared to the range of 300 to 500 cases being reported daily two weeks ago.
As of Thursday, 302,930 patients have been recovered, taking the recovery rate to 93.82%. The mortality rate in Mumbai is 3.55%. The number of active cases jumped to 7,583 on Thursday.
Similarly, on Wednesday, Mumbai reported 1,167 cases in a single day. The 1,000 mark was crossed by Mumbai for the first time after November 28, 2020. In terms of active cases going up, the biggest spike is observed in areas like Bandra, Khar, Santacruz, Andheri, Ghatkopar, Mulund etc. However, the highest number of active cases are currently in areas including Borivli, Kandivli, Malad, Jogeshwari, Andheri and Mulund, according to BMC’s data.
Suresh Kakani, additional municipal commissioner of BMC, earlier this week said, “We are hoping for the best and are reactivating beds at quarantine facilities incase the cases go up further. At the same time, citizens need to follow Covid-appropriate behaviour and not lower their guard.”
The BMC has attributed several factors to be behind the increase in the number of cases. BMC said restarting of local trains for all, increased gathering at marriages and other social events, followed by non-compliance of Covid-19 norms by citizens, restaurants and night clubs owners. Earlier this week, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray in a review meeting, directed BMC to prepare for the September peak, and increase testing, tracing and quarantining.
Meanwhile, Dr Siddarth Paliwal, a city-based physician said, “Considering the situation in Mumbai since the last ten days, I feel that complete lockdown is not the solution, but the government can think of several restrictions. This may include focusing on tweaking timings for nightclubs, bars etc. However, for now, the government should wait and watch for the next five to six days to go ahead with further restrictions keeping in mind the economic factor.”